Minnesota has called for agency proposals for a PR campaign to encourage preservation and development of habitat for pollinators in the North Star State, where honeybee populations have declined amid colony collapse disorder.
The state's Department of Agriculture released an RFP on May 27 for a firm to guide media relations, online audience building, grassroots outreach, government relations and other elements of a campaign to encourage tout the importance of pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths and beetles. That includes educating the public about native wildflowers to plant, avoiding pesticides, and providing nesting habitat.
In addition to wildlife habitat, soil erosion and aesthetic factors, Minnesota, with an estimated 130,000 colonies of honeybees, was the No. 5 honey producer in the US in 2013 by value at $16M, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture.
The state legislature has passed legislation to protect bees over the past year and is pressuring the agricluture department to crack down on pesticides linked to bee declines. One bill requires a "pollinator lethal insecticide" label on certain chemicals and curbs the use of "bee friendly" by nurseries that sell plants treated with such pesticides. Another sets up an emergency response team to respond to colony losses.
Colony collapse disorder has ravaged the honeybee industry and set off concerns about food supplies because of pollinators' key role in agriculture.
Proposals are due June 16. A one-year contract is expected to result from the search.
View the RFP (PDF).
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